Two weeks in Little Flower, February 2015

While the students of Art University Linz / basehabitat spent five weeks building practice in Little Flower and thus initiated the last phase of the PHOOLNA project, which ushered the Community Hall in loam with bamboo construction, I was even accompanied by three traveling companions for a total of two weeks in the project.

It was an intense time, each marked by the most exciting, different perspectives, which Wonge Bergmann / Frankfurt, as a photographer mostly through the lens of his giant lenses, Wolfgang Fiel / Vienna as an architect and representatives of Basehabitat with the interest in further cooperation with Little Flower and Peter Erlebach / Vienna as manager and entrepreneur, looking at crafts, electronics, solar energy, water installation, computer and such as accounting, all together brought in.

Added to this was my long to-do list in all departments, village and department meetings, exchanges with students, many conversations and impressions, much reunions and retellings that shape naturally the days in Little Flower.

To consider Wonges images, he likes to call them eye cookies is truly a pleasure, and always a touching journey through time. I can present here only a comparatively very very small selection of what I may consider.

But a promise as well: We will place a modification on our website in the next few months, and Wonge Bergmanns visual language (which otherwise can be followed daily in the FAZ) will find its way – and you can then sit back and look and feel, as if you be there, in this small village, which has become somehow for many people in Europe a fascinating place of longing!

I need to THANK all three of you a lot: Wonge, Wolfgang and Peter, you were my great traveling companions, colleagues, sparing partners, supporters, humorous conversation partners and questioners and advisors … thank you for your WORK andPARTICIPATION as well as PART GIVING!

The same is true for the student group: it was great to accompany you at work and in discussions, share your fun and experience your sterling work day after day for Little Flower!

Quite an special THANK YOU applies to Iris Nöbauer and Sebastian Vilanek: both of you are doing a wonderful work for years now that goes far beyond an university project: you have initiated and started with Little Flower a process of change in young people that had difficulties managing their lives, you not only built a house, but a foundation was laid for a different idea of the life, work and … yes of course a living as well!

You have become members of this village, members nobody wants to miss there who belong there and be heard by young and old, with the greatest respect for yourcommitment and your expertise! YOU ARE GREAT!

For you a selection of pictures of the colorful meetings, discussions and actions these days!